FAQ

Definitions

There is some confusion in the literature on the meaning of the term reproducibility. We follow an interpretation that is consistent with NIST, 6 Sigma, ACM, FASEB, The Physiome Project, and Wikipedia. The following definition is taken from the ACM web site:

“The measurement can be obtained with stated precision by a different team, a different measuring system, in a different location on multiple trials. For computational experiments, this means that an independent group can obtain the same result using artifacts which they develop completely independently.”

We distinguish reproducibility from the less stringent repeatability using the following definition of repeatability (again taken from the ACM web site):

“The measurement can be obtained with stated precision by the same team using the same measurement procedure, the same measuring system, under the same operating conditions, in the same location on multiple trials. For computational experiments, this means that a researcher can reliably repeat her own computation.”

General Questions

The purpose of the center is to encourage best practices in the computational modeling of biological processes. Initially, the center will focus on improving all aspects related to the reproducibility of published models in the systems biology domain.

The center involves four major sites that include the University of Washington in Seattle, University of Connecticut Health Center, Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and the University of Aukland in New Zealand.